Strength training for runners – your how-to guide

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Strength training for runners your how-to guide
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• Strength training for runners is a vital piece of
  the puzzle. Adding tempo runs, long runs,
  and speedwork to your routine will help build
  speed and efficiency, but strength training is
  often the element to take runners to the next
  level. Strength work accomplishes three goals
  for runners it prevents injuries by
  strengthening muscles and connective tissues it
  helps you run faster by boosting neuromuscular
  coordination and power and it improves
  your running economy by encouraging coordination
  and stride efficiency, says Jason Fitzgerald,
  running coach and founder of Strength Running.

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• Many runners fear that strength training will
  build bulky muscle, which will slow you down. But
  unless youre lifting very frequently and eating
  tons of extra calories, youre unlikely to put on
  weight that would impair your running, explains
  Joe Holder, a Nike Run Club coach. I remember a
  quote from a strength coach who said, "There are
  no weak fast runners",' says Fitzgerald.

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What does running strength training involve?

• Focus on lifting, not on raising your heart rate.
  Many runners turn their session into a metabolic
  workout by including too much cardio think
  CrossFit workouts or circuit-based fitness
  classes, says Fitzgerald. But runners get enough
  cardio. Instead, they should focus on gaining
  strength and power. Fitzgerald recommends
  focusing on relatively heavy weights for a
  moderate number of repetitions, with full
  recovery. You can lift weight at the gym, or at
  home with a few pieces of home gym equipment.

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• Focus on working your entire body youll get the
  most bang for your buck if you emphasise mostly
  compound exercises those that involve multiple
  joints and muscle groups, such as lunges, squats,
  rows or deadlifts rather than isolation
  exercises, which involve just one joint and one
  major muscle group, such as a biceps curl or
  hamstring curl.

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• The goal is to get used to controlling your
  weight through multiple planes and increasing the
  level of strength proficiency and body awareness,
  which will lead to increased mobility, balance
  and speed, says Holder.
• It's also worth concentrating on single-leg
  exercises, such as single-leg deadlifts,
  Bulgarian split squats and lunges, as this will
  help to iron out any imbalances (most of us have
  one leg that's slightly stronger than the other).
  This lower-body workout is a good place to start.

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• Dont forget that your own body serves as weight,
  too. Bridges and planks are excellent exercises
  they target areas where weaknesses could lead to
  increased risk of injury, such as
  the glutes, hips and core. So if picking up a
  barbell or dumbbells is a big stretch for you,
  ditching the weights and adding body-weight
  exercises instead can still build strength while
  you master proper form.

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Train for strength, not gains

• As a runner, train for strength and power, not to
  bulk up with massive muscles. Choose your weights
  and reps wisely if you want to get stronger but
  not necessarily bigger. Runners should be
  lifting heavy, says Brad Schoenfeld, a strength
  and conditioning specialist and associate
  professor of exercise science at Lehman College
  in New York, US. Volume builds muscle, whereas
  strength is maximised by heavy loads.

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• A strength-training programme should be
  periodised like running, explains Fitzgerald. At
  the beginning, focus on three sets of 10 reps,
  which is a fairly basic set and rep scheme,
  building up movement capacity and getting more
  efficient with using moderate weight, he says.
  Then you can add on weight, periodising
  appropriately, until you eventually get into
  power-based moves or Olympic lifts, where the
  reps come down and sets increase to something
  like two to five reps for four or five sets.

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How much strength training do runners need to do?

•  Most coaches would recommend two or three
  sessions a week. But if youre seriously pushed
  for time, theres some evidence to suggest just
  one 20-minute strength training session per week
  can be effective in building and then maintaining
  strength. The study looked at a Dutch personal
  training company, Fit20, whose ethos is personal
  training in 20 minutes per week. Said training
  involves six exercises chest press, pull down,
  back extension, leg press, abdominal flexion, and
  either hip abduction or abduction (but you could
  sub in your own exercises here). 

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• The key thing is the level of resistance you
  need to choose a weight where you can only mange
  four to six reps. Rest between the exercises is
  typically about 20 seconds.